Superman
by The Last Letter
Summary: Danny Fenton is having the worst year of his life. At least his best friend is talking to him. His summer finally starts looking up when Sam Manson returns to Amity (despite the fact that she said she hated him). Between Sam's new boyfriend and the demand of helping the ghosts, Danny was completely unprepared for Vlad's master plan.
1. Chapter 1

**This story accompanies my _Reflections_ universe series. In chronological order they are:**

**- Heart Of A Child (One-shot. Complete)**

**- Reflections/Wonderwall (Companion fics. Multi-chapter. Complete)**

**- Better Than Me (One-shot. Complete)**

**- Invincible ( Companion to Superman. Multi-chapter. Complete).**

**- All These Lives (Spans middle of Invincible/Superman. One-shot. Complete)**

**- Superman (Companion to Invincible. Multi-chapter. Incomplete)**

"Jazz, back off!"

My sister put her hands on her hips and glared at me; a look that I was sure would terrify the hell out of her children someday. "This needs to be talked about."

I turned on my heel, walking out of the kitchen toward my bedroom but she simply followed me. Finally I said, "Jazz, it _has_ been talked about. We've discussed and argued and bitched and whatever else you can think of and we just can't figure it out."

I almost shut my bedroom door in her face but thought better of it. She followed me into my room, sitting primly at my desk while I collapsed on my bed.

"Vlad is still threatening you –"

"Vlad has _never_ stopped threatening me! Since the moment I became a halfa he's been on my ass, trying to kill me or clone me or have sex with Mom –"

"I thought we were ignoring that part," Jazz interrupted me, shuddering.

"Point is that Vlad has never left me alone. I've never listened to him before and I'm not going to start taking his threats seriously now."

Jazz pondered this and, since we'd had this argument many times in the past few months, I could take a good guess at what she'd say next.

"Vlad started threatening you months ago, at the beginning of the year," Jazz pointed out. "He's never kept going with something this long. He's got to be planning something big –"

"All the better to stay in the middle of it!" I exclaimed. "I'm going to keep helping ghosts cross over, because them being gone is better all around. I don't care if Vlad likes it or not. He's going to have to get over it."

Jazz fiddled with the jacket lying on the back of my desk chair. "He's not just threatening you, Danny. He's said things that have alluded to this entire family and to Tucker. Because of his past obsession with Mom and because we know he's crazy, I can't help but worry that we're going to push him too far this time."

"Jazz," I said, going to kneel in front of her and forcing her to look at me. "I'd never let anything happen to you, Mom, Dad, or Tucker. I don't think that Vlad would ever actually hurt Mom, and both she and Dad can take care of themselves. If they saw him as Plasmius, they'd blast him out of existence. You and Tucker can take care of yourselves too and we all know that I could destroy him. But look, Mom and Dad are always together. You, Tucker, and I will start with a buddy system, okay?"

"Danny –"

"Nothing's going to happen to you, Jazz. Vlad has no reason to go after you. The only comment he made about you or any of the other family was 'they'll be sad if something happens', which is just him threatening to kill me as always. You don't even ghost hunt with us anymore. It's just Tucker and I going out there now."

"If anything happens to you –"

I cut her off completely. "Nothing is going to happen to you or me or Mom or Dad or Tucker or anybody. Vlad's definitely plotting and scheming, but we don't know what about. Like we've said, Vlad's been throwing threats around for months. At this point, he's just fucking blowing smoke and he's not actually going to do anything."

"You don't know that," she argued.

I stood up and turned my back on her, staring out the window. "For the last time Jazz! I _do_ know that. He's full of bullshit."

"But if we don't figure out what he's up to it could get worse!" Jazz yelled at me. "And what about this 'nephew' of his? This Gregor kid?"

"What about Gregor?" I asked, turning around to face her again. The guy had popped up in Amity near the end of June as Vlad's nephew from Hungary. I hadn't seen a hell of a lot of him and I didn't really think about him.

"He's blond, green-eyed, mysteriously pops up …"

"I don't know what you're getting at," I snapped. "Gregor's just a random relative of Vlad's; probably an inconvenience to the conniving asshole." I paused, noticing Jazz's unsatisfied expression. "Jazz, stop. Just stop. I can't talk about this anymore. I can't listen to this shit anymore. We've been dealing with this for months! We've been having this conversation for _months_ and I just don't fucking care anymore!"

"Fine!" She snapped, and she walked out of my room, slamming my door behind her.

"Argh!" I growled to myself. I kicked a pile of clothing and weapons on the floor, feeling a small sense of satisfaction as things clattered against my wall.

There was a knock on my door.

"Who the fuck is it?" I shouted, knowing that it had to be Jazz; Mom and Dad were out for the day.

"It's Tucker."

"Come in," I grumped.

He pushed open my door and took a long look at my face. "Someone's angry."

"Frustrated," I grumbled.

"Ooh, Danny's breaking out the big boy words."

I managed a smile, feeling better with his lightheartedness. For a brief moment, I felt a familiar flash of thankfulness that he was back in my life; that we were friends again.

"Hey, I'm very well edjumacated," I said in my best stereotypical hillbilly voice.

"Clearly," Tucker snorted. "So, do you want to talk about it or do you want to play Doom?"

"Doom," I said immediately. "I'm fucking tired of talking about it."

"So you decided you want to get your ass whooped instead," Tucker snickered, flicking my TV and gaming system on while I collapsed on the end of my bed.

"I've gotten better!" I cried.

"Let's face it, you have cool and are able to destroy anything in your path in the real world… That being said, I will always be able to kick your ass in Doom."

"Put your money where your mouth is," I challenged as he took the seat next to me and handed me my controller.

"Fine. You lose, you make me nachos."

"And if I win?" I asked him.

"You won't," Tucker said confidently.

"Give me a little credit," I demanded.

"Fine. I'll make you nachos," Tucker conceded. "But I don't have to worry about that."

"We'll see," I commented, pressing the start button.

Five rounds later, it was in the early morning hours and I had lost every round we had played. Tucker turned to look at me, giving me an expectant look.

"Fine," I grumbled. "Nachos."

It only took a few minutes to whip up a plate of nachos and to make sure that they were cooked to perfection in the oven. It took a few more minutes to catch the stray chip that had somehow been infected with ectoplasm. The little bitch tried to take a bite out of my toe, but I effectively squashed it before it could do any damage to me. I coated my hand in a sheet of ice and picked up the hot pan, carrying the nachos upstairs to Tucker, who was furiously texting.

"Messaging your girlfriend?" I teased him.

"I don't have a girlfriend," Tucker said in a monotone, grabbing a handful of nachos and shoving them in his mouth.

"Then the robot you built to simulate a girlfriend because no woman will touch you."

"The ladies love T.F. It stands for 'Too Fine'."

I laughed. "You've been using that same line since middle school."

Tucker shrugged, rolling his broad shoulders. "You don't mess with the classics baby," Tucker informed me, his voice cracking like it did back in middle school.

"Whatever," I rolled my eyes. "So, really, who are you texting?"

He looked at me and then immediately averted his eyes again. I was instantly suspicious.

"Who are you texting?" I asked again.

"No one," he denied, even though I could clearly see his thumbs flying across his smartphone.

"What? Are you sexting my sister or something?"

"Gross," Tucker rolled his eyes. "Don't imply shit about me and Jazz, it's weird."

"Agreed." The thought of my best friend and my sister being together made me feel a little green. "So, who is it?"

Tucker heaved a sigh and I knew that he had given in. "Sam."

My stomach bottomed out. "Like … _Sam__?_" I whispered, saying her name with reverence.

"Yeah."

I closed my eyes. I could feel her skin under my hands, covered in goose bumps because of how cold my hands were. I could see her purple eyes, intently staring into mine. I could hear her voice, telling me that she hated me. _Sam__._

"W-why is she texting you?"

"She just got back to Amity."

She was here. She was within reach.

"What's she saying?"

"Not a whole lot." Tucker looked at me. "She's my friend but you're my friend too. I know how she feels about you and … Ugh, Danny, I'm not talking about her with you."

"So she does hate me?" I pushed.

"That's the feeling I get from her," Tucker replied, already breaking his rule of not talking about her.

I knew that they were in contact, but I'd never been there when he was having a conversation with her. All of a sudden, she was more real than she had been in months. She wasn't a memory or a figure in my dreams. She was someone who was having a conversation. She was someone who was within reach, if I managed to play my cards right.

"Has she ever talked about me?"

Tucker shook his head. "I never brought it up. I didn't want her to get mad at me for it."

"Will you ask her?"

"No! It'll probably ruin my friendship with her."

"If she gets mad then you can just tell her I took your phone. If she already hates me then it won't have any effect on you." I clasped my hands under my chin, trying to look as desperate as I felt on the inside. "Please, Tuck. You know what she means to me."

"I know. If she meant anything to you, then you wouldn't have done what you did."

I swallowed. "I know."

He looked at me again. "Okay, I'll ask. But know that I'll never do it again."

"Thank you."

I watched him type out another message and waited with baited breath for his phone to vibrate again. They sent several messages back and forth but Tucker never said a word for me. I fiddled with my fingers, trying to make myself be patient. I knew that he hadn't really wanted to do this in the first place, so the fact that he was doing it made me appreciate it that much more.

"She said she hates you," he said finally.

I'd known that, though. She'd said it to my face.

"That's not something new," I sighed. "Will she forgive me?"

"Danny –"

"Last question, I promise." But I think we both knew that it might not be true, depending on what her answer was.

He typed out my question for me, and then, when his phone vibrated, he shook his head.

"She won't?" I cried out, knowing that I should have expected this too.

But I couldn't help but think that she would change her mind. That, somehow, she would see me again and change her mind. She would realize that I really had been a lost kid and had just been lying to her because I hadn't known what else to do. She would forgive me and come back to me because she would realize that we were meant to be together. I loved her; I absolutely loved her. And the moment she realized that she loved me back needed to happen soon.

"She figured out that you were with me," Tucker revealed.

"So she didn't even answer your question?" I asked.

"No, and I think she's mad at me. She's just going to bed. Thanks."

"I'm sorry! I just … had to know."

"You're always sorry!" Tucker grumbled, and I could feel an old flare of bitterness come up between us.

"Tuck …"

"No, no," he cut me off. "Let's just play more Doom."

So we fucking played Doom.

**Well, here we go again! Updates will usually be on Thursdays. I can't say for sure that it will be every Friday this time around, because of university, and it can be hard to find time to write. We'll all be doing our best!**

** I don't own anything recognizable. Thanks to my betas: Forever Sky.**

**~TLL~**


	2. Chapter 2

I woke up to barking. I immediately knew that it was Cujo, since I could feel the ghost puppy's weight as he bounced around my feet. It took about thirty seconds for me to remember that my parents would think that hearing a dog in their house was weird, and that they would probably come investigate with Fenton blasters in tow. That would be the end of my pet. I sat up and grabbed him from the end of my bed. He was so small that he fit easily under my arm. He barked again excitedly.

"Shh," I urged him, stuffing him under my blanket.

Cujo pawed at the blanket for a moment before sticking his head out from underneath the comforter. He licked at my hand, ectoplasmic saliva soon covering my fingers.

"Gross," I complained, but Cujo didn't care. I picked him up, my hand sliding underneath his front limbs. I held him up in front of my face, looking at him. He wagged his tail, his little green body shaking. "What am I going to do with you?"

He squirmed and I dropped him into my lap, running my fingers through his fur. I had been trying to get most, if not all of the ghosts, to cross over. More and more of them were coming to me for help, wanting to be free of both the Earth and the Ghost Zone. I was more than happy to help them, even if it meant a lot of research into their pasts. I had even gotten Wulf to cross over. But when it came to Cujo, I was stumped. He was a dog. He had been bound to Earth like any human ghost, but unlike the human ghosts, I couldn't get him to understand that there was an afterlife beyond the Ghost Zone and that it was time for him to go.

Cujo had just flopped down between my legs when my phone vibrated. Cujo was off like a shot, collecting the electronic between his jaws before floating back to me. I cringed as he proudly offered me my phone. If there were bite marks in the screen, I didn't know how I would ever explain it to my parents. But someone must have been watching out for me for fuckin' once - God knows I've needed guidance too many times before – because Cujo hadn't damaged it. He'd just gotten it covered in drool.

"Thanks," I told the dog. Appeased, Cujo returned to his spot between my legs, rolling onto his back. I dropped one hand to his stomach and used the other for texting.

**Mikey: Are you still coming this afternoon?**

** Me: Yup – with the fam.**

** Mikey: Just checking!**

** Me: I'll see you later.**

I switched from my conversation with Mikey to one with Kwan.

**Me: Are you going to the party at Starr's lake house?**

I didn't really expect a reply. Kwan was bad with texting. Cujo licked at my hand.

"Just a second," I said. "I'm texting Tucker."

**Me: Starr's?**

** Tucker: Yeah baby. Bikini time!**

** Me: Not for you I hope.**

** Tucker: Afraid I'll turn you on?**

** Me: That's exactly it**

** Tucker: Damn. Guess I'll have to cancel the bikini. I can't let your boner give the ladies the wrong impression of me.**

** Me: The ladies already have the wrong impression of you**

** Tucker: Ouch**

** Tucker: I'll have you know that out there somewhere is the girl**

** Me: That'll take your virginity?**

** Tucker: V-card long lost **

** Me: wait what?**

** Tucker: Yeah, happened when we were on a break**

** Me: The fuck? Tucker who the fuck?**

** Tucker: I'VE SAID TOO MUCH**

** Me: YOU CAN'T IGNORE ME FOREVER YOU HAVE TO TELL ME WHO THE FUCK WOULD HAVE SEX WITH YOU**

** Tucker: I'm insulted**

** Me: I'll apologize once you tell me!**

** Tucker: NEVER**

** Me: PREPARE FOR THE EMOJI SPAM**

** Tucker: YOU'LL NEVER TAKE ME ALIVE FENTON**

** Me: THIS CONVERSTION ISN'T OVER**

Tucker didn't respond, and my internal annoyance flared. Just because we were just starting to be friends again now didn't mean that we hadn't been best friends for years. And because we'd been best friends for years. I had the right to know who the hell had screwed him. I looked down at Cujo, who was lolling around in my lap, just happy for attention.

"You're lucky you're a dog," I grumbled to him, and his tongue flopped out of his mouth.

Someone knocked at my door. _Shit. _I pulled the blanket over Cujo, urging the dog to be quiet. I didn't know if he would listen. Sometimes he acted well-trained, other times he acted like a puppy who'd never heard a command before.

"Come in," I called, and breathed out a sigh of relief when my sister walked in.

"Someone's sleeping in," she sniffed, but even though she sounded condescending, I brushed it of easily. My sister wouldn't be able to sleep in if she were in a coma – if there was ever a day that she didn't wake up before eight a.m., it would probably be the day she died.

"We're not leaving for Starr's cabin until later, so why not?" I shrugged. "Also, I was up late last night."

"Playing stupid video games with Tucker."

"Yes, playing stupid video games with Tucker," I repeated. He'd left ridiculously early this morning, his mom needing assistance with something.

"There's something we need to talk about," Jazz said.

"If this is about Vlad –"

"It's _not_," Jazz began heatedly. "It's about Sam."

"Sam?" I blurted out, surprised. In my shock, I let go of Cujo – who I had been holding still, and he phased through my blanket, bounding toward Jazz and up into her lap.

She raised her ginger eyebrows at me. "You let the ghost dog into the house?"

I shrugged, innocent for once. "The portal is in our basement. Cujo does as he pleases."

Jazz began to pet Cujo, who didn't try to pull any tricks with her; he just cuddled.

"So, what about Sam?" I demanded anxiously.

"Well, I heard that she's back –"

I nodded. "She is. She got here last night."

"So I just think that I should come in here and talk to you about that. See how you're feeling." Jazz looked at me, her eyes so full of empathy that I couldn't be mad at her. Jazz was the one who had coddled me through my break-up and my fuck-ups. She was the one who had found me, destroyed and crying, the night that Sam left me. If there was anyone who had the right to talk to me about my feelings, it was her. That didn't mean I wanted to talk about my fucking feelings, though.

"I'm fine."

Jazz gave me a look and Cujo barked. Even the damn dog didn't believe me.

"Seriously, Jazz. Everything's fine. It's better than fine."

"What are you going to do if you see her again?" Jazz asked.

"Propose," I told her.

"Danny!"

"No," I corrected myself. "I'm going to give her about two minutes to fall back in love with me and _then_ I'm going to propose."

"You're a piece of work!" Jazz exclaimed.

"I think I'm fucking funny," I explained, but she just rolled her eyes. "And I think you're a nag."

"A _nag_?" Jazz repeated. "I'm just trying to look out for you!"

I opened my mouth to say something, but instead of words, out came a blue wisp. Duty calls. "Not that this hasn't been fun, Jazz, and not that we shouldn't do it again sometime _but_, I've got to go."

Jazz rolled her eyes at me again. "I thought you were done being an asshole, little brother." She stood up, and Cujo followed her out the door.

I clenched my fists together in frustration, but I didn't have time to deal with Jazz's mood swings right now. I transformed into Phantom then phased out my bedroom wall and into the open air. I followed my ghost sense to a relatively secluded area, my eyes peeled for my opponent. It took a long moment for Plasmius to become visible in front of me, and I almost fired at him immediately.

"What do you want?" I snapped.

"I am giving you one last chance," Plasmius said calmly. "Stand down, Daniel. Stop talking to the ghosts."

"You don't get to tell me what to do," I growled, taking a step closer. I tried to look as threatening as possible, but in the back of my head, I knew that it was in vain. Vlad knew that I was powerful, but he believed that he was far more powerful, and he would never be intimidated by me.

"No, I don't," Plasmius agreed, surprising me. "But _you_ should rethink your stance. I mean, you have your best friend – what would you do if something happened to him? What would you do if something happened to Jasmine, hmm? And Maddie and Jack … Well, if something ever happened to their precious daughter and they _knew_ it was their son's fault … Tsk tsk. They'd never speak to you again."

"You wouldn't dare," I spat.

"Wouldn't I?" Plasmius placed his hand against his chest, eyes widening in surprise. "Do you really want to see if I'm bluffing?"

No, because Vlad was one bat shit fruit loop. "If you _ever_ lay a hand on my family, Vlad, I'll gut you myself."

I turned my back on him, but he had to get the last word. As I went to fly away, Vlad called, "There's one person you're forgetting, little badger."

I turned around as my curiousity piqued. Vlad's lips widened into a grotesque imitation of a smile, his fangs showing. "Samantha Manson is a very pretty girl, don't you think?"

I could feel my heart slow to a stop. My jaw pulsed. I leapt at Vlad; ghost powers forgotten, I was going to pummel the man with my fists.

"Don't be so childish," Vlad hissed as he dodged me. "I'll see you another time, and don't forget. This is your last chance."

"Go fuck yourself!" I shouted, grabbing for him one more time.

"Child," Vlad cursed, and then he vanished.

I roared, pounding my fists into the ground. If there was ever a person on this Earth that I was going to kill, it would be Vlad Masters. And no one who knew the truth about him could say that he didn't deserve it. I would be justified in decapitating him, phasing his organs out of his body one by one, and shoving hot coals down his throat until they burnt out of his ass. He deserved all of that and more.

I let out another yell, and almost attacked an innocent tree when my cell phone started ringing.

"What?" I barked into the phone.

"Mom wants to know if you're coming back to go to the Orien's with us or if you've got another way there." Jazz said.

I grumbled internally. "Tell her to give me ten minutes. I'll be there with you guys."

"Are you okay?" Jazz asked.

"Vlad's a bastard," I moaned, taking to the air as I talked to her.

"Oh, he was the one you met up with?"

"Uh-huh. Jazz … You were right. I should have realized how far he was going to take this when you did. You are absolutely not allowed anywhere alone. From now on, none of us are, okay?"

"What are you going to do about it?" Jazz wondered, and, even though I knew she was trying her best to hide it, I could hear that she was scared.

"I don't know. Look, I'm two minutes away from home. Let's … try not to think about it right now. We're going to be fine at Starr's. We'll brainstorm tonight, okay?"

"Okay," Jazz sighed. "See you soon."

I touched down in my bedroom with enough time to change – having only been in boxers when I had transformed into Phantom. I had to get ready quietly, as Mom and Dad apparently thought that I was out somewhere. When I was done, I had to bail out of the house and go around to the front door to let myself in.

"Who's ready?" I shouted to my family.

"No one!" Mom called back. "Give us ten more minutes."

Fine.

**I don't own anything recognizable. Thanks to my betas: Forever Sky.**

**~TLL~**


	3. Chapter 3

"I love this place," Mom exclaimed as Dad parked the giant van that he insisted we drive everywhere. "Jack, we should buy a house on the lake."

"Once we start getting money back from the investments, Mads, we can do whatever you want with it." Dad promised her.

Good, they could move out and I could live alone.

Vehicle parked, we all climbed out. Jazz immediately latched onto my arm, and I could tell that my minor breakdown on the phone earlier had scared her. She also didn't have any knowledge on how to deal with what was happening, Jazz always had to ask what was going on and what to do about it.

"Get a drink," I whispered in her ear.

Jazz glared at me. "You know I don't drink."

"It might calm you down."

"Are you two scheming?" Dad demanded, breaking into our conversation.

"What would we be scheming about?" I asked him.

"Maybe Danny's going to sneak away with a new girlfriend," Mom suggested to Dad.

"I don't – " I began to protest, but Dad started talking.

"Maybe Jazzy Pants has a boyfriend!" Dad suggested.

Jazz went red. "I do not!"

"Jazz doesn't spend time with a lot of boys," Mom pointed out.

"Thank you," Jazz told her, until Mom said, "She _does_ see Tucker a lot."

"Maybe Tucker _is_ her secret boyfriend," Dad decided, and I whacked him on the arm, Jazz and I protesting her involvement with Tucker in unison.

"He's my best friend!"

"He's so immature."

"There's no way she would date Tucker."

"There's no way I would date Tucker."

"Sure, sure," Dad agreed, but I was sure that a gross theory had already popped into his brain, one where Tucker was doing my sister.

Okay, so Dad probably wasn't picturing _that_ exactly, but same fucking idea.

I glanced around as we headed down toward the actual house and beach, trying to pick out my friends. Tucker said that he was here already, and while I hadn't heard back from Kwan (as predicted, because I'm fucking smart), I knew that he wouldn't miss Starr's party. He was head over heels for the girl … In fact, I wouldn't have been shocked to find out that he was the first guest to arrive.

I spotted him down near the dock, and shook Jazz off, urging her to go drink a glass, or a bottle, of wine. I headed down to the water, shouting to him.

"KWANSTER!"

"FENT-MAN!" Kwan barked back. "How are you?"

"Same old," I shrugged. The only thing different in my life was that I no longer had to wake up for school, ever again. "You? Haven't seen you since … just after grad."

Which was weird, I realized. I had gone over a month without seeing Kwan, who normally I would have seen nearly every day. Now that I was standing here thinking about it, the only person I'd seen outside of family this summer was Tucker. I was becoming a fucking recluse. Great. Something else that Vlad had done – stolen my social life.

"Workin' at the auto shop, but just 'til school starts." Kwan flexed at me. "My parents never thought I'd make it into college but I got a full ride. When I die, I'm gonna hug the hell out of the man who invented football."

I held up my hand, fist bumping his.

"You know what we should do?" Kwan asked, peering up at me eagerly. He reminded me of Cujo, in that way. Except Kwan was always sweet and never turned into a raging monster puppy.

"What?" I replied, my breath turning blue.

_Fuck_. I already had to deal with Vlad. Who the hell was around?

"Race across the lake."

"Later, man," I said quickly. "You have to let me fuel up first so I can beat your ass."

"Fat chance!" Kwan bragged. "I'm a fucking great swimmer."

"I'll catch up with you later," I said, beginning to back away from him. "There's some people I want to catch up with."

"Lemme know if you see Starr!" Kwan ordered.

"On your left!" I called, before spinning around and darting into the woods. There's something to be admired about the way rich people need to be completely shut off from their neighbours – I could transform without anyone being the wiser.

Now Phantom, I turned invisible, creeping to where I thought the ghost was. Briefly, I wondered what Sam would do if she saw me in this form. I knew she hated Fenton; couldn't stand his face. But if she looked at me as Phantom would she, for a moment, remember the person that I really was – the person that loved her the best he could?

As tempting as it was, I had to be a ghost hunter first and foremost. I found a small clearing, so far away from the Orien's that I couldn't hear any noise from the party. Standing in the woods was the last ghost I would ever expect to see (excluding Vlad but including Skulker).

_Walker_.

"What do you want?" I demanded, but the line lacked any punch. I was too shocked that he was out of the Ghost Zone, that it wasn't a minion standing before me.

"A rule has been broken," Walker rumbled without any preamble.

I rolled my eyes. "I am_ not_ going back to prison. And since when has helping ghosts cross over been against the law?"

Probably since Vlad said so. Walker and Vlad were tight. Best buds.

"Not by _you_," Walker sneered, and I had to raise my eyebrows in surprise. It was _always_ me.

"Then who broke a rule?" I asked after he was silent for a minute.

"Plasmius is not honourable," Walker ground out, and I could feel his annoyance.

"What did he do?" I had no doubts that Walker had been in on Vlad's current plan, but if they had broken up, there was no reason why Walker couldn't let me in on the secret.

Walker looked at me, his eyes narrowing into slits. "To tell would also be to break a rule."

What the fuck? "Walker, not everything is about rules!"

"I have _honour_," Walker roared at me, "Unlike some! I am here to tell you this, and nothing else, if you find him, and if you bring him to me, I promise you that he will never get out."

"Sweet, but … two questions. Why should I trust you to keep him in? How do I know that this isn't some ploy to get _me_ captured?"

"If I needed you captured," Walker sneered, "I wouldn't have to come here myself to do it. I know trust does not flow freely between the two of us but you _must_ realize that this is bigger than me wanting to put you away. You are no longer a child and you will no longer be treated like one."

I started at the comment, looking at Walker suspiciously. "What do you mean by that?"

Walker straightened. "I have said all that I came to say to you. I have said all that I can say to you."

"No parting words of advice?" I demanded. "We've been so close over the years, Walker."

He rolled his eyes at my taunt, shaking his head. Finally, he pointed a white finger at me. "Get rid of Plasmius. Or suffer."

"That's what Plasmius always says – that I'm going to suffer. It'd be really nice to get some fucking hints, Walker. Or maybe you could just tell me what the hell is going on because I know that you know." I took a step toward him, trying to intimidate the prison warden. "Spill the beans."

"Language," Walker snarled. "I am still your superior. You will still respect me. But Plasmius doesn't deserve any more respect."

"Then tell me his secrets!" I shouted, getting sick of the circular nature the conversation was starting to take. "Talk to me!"

"It would be breaking a rule," Walker repeated. "But if you can take him down, I have a place for him."

I took another step toward him, but Walker just shook his head at me before disappearing. My frustration from my encounter with Vlad earlier came back full force and I just wanted to hit something. I wished that the Box Ghost was still around; he was my go-to punching bag because he had never posed a threat to me and he never would pose a threat to me. But he was gone, like so many other ghosts that I had gotten familiar with over the years, some that I had even called my friends.

I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself. Someone had likely noticed that I was missing from the party by now - even it was just my parents. I didn't want to explain myself to them because they already thought that I had a girlfriend and I couldn't let them think that. What if they said something to the wrong people and, somehow, Sam heard? She had to know that I was still here, still waiting for her to realize that I was sorry, and that, even though I didn't have the words to explain myself, I still loved her.

I slipped back to the party, my stomach growling. I knew Tucker would be up around the buffet, so I headed up there. People were milling around; I grabbed what food I could (all good food because Starr's parents knew how to throw a party) and I headed into the dining room. I glanced around for Tucker, knowing that it wouldn't be hard to find him. There weren't that many black people in Amity, and of them, Tucker was the tallest. I saw him sitting with Mikey, and then I saw a blur of black hair. My heart leapt, and without even seeing her face, I knew that it was Sam.

She was here. She was in this building. I could take a few extra steps and follow her down that hallway. I could make her talk to me; make her understand that I had never done it to hurt her and that I had learnt from the error of my ways.

I took a shaky step, staring at the place where I had last seen her. Suddenly, there was a hand on my bicep and I jumped, looking up at Tucker.

"Don't even fucking think about it," he warned me. "Come sit."

I sank down at the table Tucker tugged me over to.

"What?" I hissed at him.

"You know what," he hissed back, his green eyes intense. "Let it go for today."

I nodded, but grumbled, "For now," under my breath. I didn't know if Tucker fully understood what was going on, not the way that he thought he did.

"How are you, Danny?" Mikey asked.

"Doing good," I said confidently, reaching for my fork. "And you?"

Mikey shrugged. "Waiting for university to start. It'll be nice to meet new people."

"Agreed!" Tucker nodded forcefully. "Not that I don't love some of these people, but it's been the same group since grade school."

Mikey nodded. "And maybe I'll find people more like me."

"Haven't you ever listened to a university sales pitch?" Tucker asked, lightly punching Mikey on the shoulder. "That's what their whole game is based on – finding people who are basically you."

I kept my eyes on my food as they talked, trying not to think too hard about what they were saying. I was not going to university. I wasn't doing anything with my life, as far as my parents were concerned. I didn't have the grades to move on with my education, even if I had wanted to. There were better things that I could be doing with my time (none of them pay that great, but they're still superior).

Luckily, we were interrupted by Kwan, who dropped heavily into the other chair between Mikey and Tuck.

"Ready to race?" He demanded of me.

"Sure," I agreed, "but we have to make sure it's fair."

Kwan frowned at me. "Do you think I'm a cheater?"

I shook my head. "No. But there's always a ref at sports games, right?"

Kwan thought about this. "Right. Mikey, Tucker, any volunteers?"

"I will!" Mikey announced immediately.

"I'm going to kick up here for a while," Tucker decided, eyes shifting around the room. "I'm not full yet."

I rolled my eyes. "You're never full, you useless bottomless pit. C'mon Kwan, Mike, let's go. I'm ready to whoop some ass in this race."


	4. Chapter 4

Mikey, Kwan and I slowly made our way down to the dock. Although Mikey and Kwan didn't really know one another, it was impossible to not get along with Kwan, who seemed genuinely interested in Mikey's future plans. I stayed silent as they talked, basking in what it was like to be around people again. I had spent a lot of my time since Sam had left absolutely and utterly alone because solitude was easier. No one could have possibly understood what I was going through, how much I missed her and loved her; how much I needed her back in my life. But now that I was around people again – people who weren't Tucker and my family – I realized that I'd missed having friends.

And Sam was back. I had been in the same room as her briefly. From there, it would be a simple hop, skip and jump to a conversation and then _bam_, she'd love me again and everything would be right with the world. After Kwan and I finished this contest, I would have to go track her down. She couldn't realize how much she missed me until she could see me, but as soon as we'd locked eyes … It would all come rushing back to her. It _had_ to.

But first I had to beat Kwan, because I swore to him that I would and I was a man of my word.

We stopped at the edge of the dock, surveying the lake. It wasn't a large lake – I could clearly see to the other side. There was an orange buoy bobbing around in the middle of the lake.

"So," I said to Kwan, "To the buoy?"

"We could …" Kwan said slowly.

"Or?" I prompted, because I knew that he wouldn't finish his sentence otherwise.

"We go all the way across the lake," Kwan proposed. "And _back."_

I raised my eyebrows at him. "Are you sure you can handle that?"

Kwan flexed, his arms bulging. "Scared, Fenton?"

Looking at him, I had a momentarily flash back to when we were fourteen years old, when Kwan had been nothing more than Dash's lackey – just as mean and even more stupid than the blond tormentor. _"Scared, Fenton?" _they would chant as they reached for me, to throw me into lockers or garbage cans; to lock me into closets with Tucker for so long that when we escaped, the light burnt our eyes; to punch me hard enough that there would be bruises left for weeks.

_What the fuck is wrong with you? _I demanded of myself. _Kwan is your friend. He has been for years. Get over it. Nothing is like it was when you were fourteen._

"Wait," Mikey cried before I could speak. "If you guys swim around the lake then how am I supposed to monitor that?"

"Paddle boat!" I said quickly, pointing to one of two bright blue paddles boats that were tied to the dock.

Mikey pointed to his skinny legs and then to his skinny arms, which looked even smaller compared to how muscular Kwan looked. Kwan could make _me_ look like a shrimp, and I was nearly twice the size of Mikey. "I can't handle one of those things by myself."

Kwan's brown eyes lit up with an idea. "Starr will paddle with you!" Before Mikey could protest, Kwan was already shouting to his girlfriend. "Starr, babe! Come here."

Mikey deflated as Starr approached. While even I could admit that she had gotten a hell of a lot better since Paullina had dropped off the face of the earth (good fuckin' riddance), that didn't mean Starr was perfect. She knew how to put her nose in the air with the best of them, and despite the fact that they were cousins, that didn't mean that Starr didn't look down on Mikey. She plastered on a smile though, and it didn't even waver when she looked at him. A lot of people are shocked when they find out Mikey and Starr are related, but I wasn't one of them. They look enough alike that they could be twins. They're the same height, with the same skinny bodies, blond hair, and bright blue eyes. The two of them standing in front of each other was like some kind of crazy, gender-bending carnival mirror.

"What's up?" Starr giggled, looking up at Kwan.

One of her redeeming qualities is how much she loved Kwan. It was one of the reasons I had avoided Kwan over the summer. I knew how in love he was with her and it made me fucking sick. Why did Kwan get to be happy and I had to suffer? I was just as in love as he was … Maybe more.

"Can you paddle with Mikey?"

Starr frowned, and I saw a hint of Paulina's patented bitch face appear on her features for a moment. "_Why_?"

"Danny and I are going to race across the lake and Mikey needs someone in the paddle boat to ref with him." Kwan looked at her, his puppy dog face coming out in full form. "Come on, babe. You'll get to see me do sports. You love to watch me do sports."

Starr giggled. "Okay, I'll do it for you!"

He kissed her, and I thought that I was going to be sick. I should have that. I know that I messed up royally, but she had to forgive me sometime. I had apologized. I had admitted that I knew what I had done wrong, and I had tried to tell her that it would never happen again because she mattered too much to me, but Sam was just too stubborn to listen.

"Ready?" Kwan interrupted my internal monologue.

"You ready?" I challenged right back.

We prepared ourselves at the end of the dock while Mikey and Starr situated themselves in the paddle boat.

"Wait! What are the stakes?" Mikey asked.

Kwan and I looked at each other.

"Meal at Nasty Burger?" We bet in unison.

"Okay!" Mikey shouted. He and Starr had paddled a bit away from the dock. "On three!"

This was going to be so easy. While Kwan was athletic, he wasn't nearly as strong as me. He didn't have ghostly abilities that would get him through nearly anything. Kwan had to do complicated things … like breathing way more than I did.

"One!" Starr squeaked.

"Two …" Mikey continued.

"Three!" They shouted together, and Kwan and I dove into the lake.

The first half was the easiest half. I swam past the buoy without any effort at all. I didn't know where Kwan was, but I could tell that he was far enough away that I didn't have to worry about him at all. But a little way past the buoy, I could feel that I was slowing down. When I reached the far end of the beach and turned around, Kwan was a hell of a lot closer than I would have guessed. I kicked my feet as hard as I could. Kwan could _not_ win this. I swam under the paddle boat as Mikey and Starr went in a circle before they figured out how to turn the boat around. I felt the water move around my feet. Kwan was close. _Too close. _ I dragged my arms through the water, passing the buoy for the second time. I kept closer to the surface, pulling air into my lungs as fast as I could. I could see Kwan out of the corner of my eye, heaving harder than I was, but holding his own. I gave an extra kick, and then I slammed my hand down on the warm boards of the dock.

"Holy," Kwan panted, hanging onto the dock just enough to keep himself from sinking. "Good job."

"You too," I replied, sincerely meaning it.

"Danny won!" Mikey announced as he and Starr docked, as if Kwan and I didn't already know that.

"But you did so good, sweetie!" Starr cheered, hands shaking as if she still had her pom poms.

"You should have gone for a swimming scholarship instead of a football scholarship," I said to Kwan as I hauled myself out of the water.

"They have those?" Kwan gasped.

I laughed. "Yeah, bud, they have those."

I grabbed one of the towels that were sitting on the dock, towelling myself off with it. I looked back up toward the cabin. It was time to go find Sam. It was time to have a conversation that, in my opinion, was long overdue. The last time I'd seen her, she had said she hated me. And while she might still be a little ticked off (I was kind of an ass hat, I know), she had to at least talk to me, because she had to still feel something for me. And I could work with 'something'.

I tugged my t-shirt on and waved to the group. "I'll see you later."

I headed up the path, keeping my eyes peeled. I finally caught sight of her up on the deck with Tucker. Internally, I sighed. My best friend was _not_ supposed to be present for this … Still, Tucker's presence might keep her from running away long enough to realize that she should talk to me. I climbed up the stairs, approaching them from behind as they looked over the railing.

"Danny would kill for Jazz, no questions asked."

I caught the tail end of what Tucker had said to Sam, and I frowned. "Why am I killing for Jazz?"

It wasn't my ideal opening line but the comment was so strange that it warranted asking.

Tucker turned around to face me, nothing in his face hinting at his intent. Sam turned around too, and my eyes locked on her face. She was _exactly_ how I remembered her. Long black hair, big purple eyes, skin so soft and pale that holding her was like curling around your favourite pillow.

Sam wouldn't look at me.

"Just sayin' how protective you are. You know, if Jazz was ever in trouble," Tucker responded.

I wrestled my eyes away from Sam to look at Jazz, sitting with a girl I didn't know. Of course I was protective over Jazz, she was both my conscience and my sanity … She was also my sister. And now, with all of this shit going on with Vlad, I had even more reason to look out for her. He knew that.

"She's okay, though, right?" I checked in anxiously. Anything could have happened while I'd been with Kwan and Mikey.

"Oh yeah," Tucker said quickly, dismissing my fear. "She's all right. We were speaking hypothetically."

Sam said something – I saw her lips move but she was too quiet for me to make out the words. My heart ached. I missed her voice.

"Ass!" Tucker cried out in response to her, his elbow poking into her side.

He was allowed to touch her. Even though the contact was platonic and friendly, I still envied Tucker like I had never envied him before.

"Bite me!" Sam shouted at him, pushing his arm away.

"You're a kinky little thing, aren't you?"

Sam went bright red at Tucker's taunt. She looked beautiful with a blush, and I almost said so.

"Whatever." Sam rolled her eyes at him.

"So, Sam." Tucker began, as if I weren't even there.

"Tucker," Sam said back.

I didn't even care for the moment. I was standing here, listening to her voice. I had forgotten the little things about her tone, her lilt, how she sounded _exactly__._

"Why were you so happy when you showed up a minute ago?"

Sam's mouth formed an 'O' and my curiousity was piqued, although I felt a wave of depression hit me. I had been destroyed ever since she had left Amity, but she got to be happy? I didn't want to be upset that Sam was happy, but I was … a little. I wanted her to be happy with me.

"I kind of have … a date," Sam admitted, and my world came crashing down.

I felt hot all over, and my vision started to narrow. A date? Sam had a _date_? I turned away, my hands shaking. I needed to process this. I heard Tucker talking, but I was too focused on getting away. I needed to calm down before my ghost powers burnt a hole in the floor.

But then I heard a name … and not just any name.

Sam had said _Gregor._ As in … _No. _So this was how he was going to get to her. This was how Vlad was going to be sure that he had complete control.

I whipped around, shouting in her face. "Vlad Masers' nephew? Sam! You fucking can't!"

**I don't own anything recognizable. Thanks to my betas: Forever Sky.**

**~TLL~**


	5. Chapter 5

Her eyes went flat and she glared at me, matching my tone as she yelled, "Excuse me? Who the hell are you to tell me what I can or can't do?"

The easy answer was that I was no one and that I had no right to her life. But the truth was that Sam was ignorant. With every day that passed, Vlad upped the stakes. If she went out with Gregor, the target on her back would only grow. She would be close to Vlad, closer than I ever wanted her to be. I almost opened my mouth and told her not to be an idiot - that she had to listen to me because it was the only way for her to stay safe, and then I had a startling moment of clarity. If I said something like that, she would only distance herself from me. I had to try and phrase it so that she would fucking listen.

"I'm not telling you that you can't date," I said slowly, even though I felt like the words were going to break me. She should be dating me. "But you can't date Vlad Masters' nephew."

Sam's glare, if it were even possible, intensified at the words. "That name doesn't mean anything to me. I don't care whose nephew he is. I am going on a date and it might turn into two! I might kiss him … I might do more. The point is that I don't care about what you say I should or shouldn't do."

Frustrated, I had to keep myself from rolling my eyes and from reaching out to grab her in an effort to make her understand. "Sam! You don't understand."

Sam's lips went tight, the blood disappearing from them. "I don't care."

It hurt hearing that, because I knew what she was saying. She was saying she didn't fucking care about me. It hurt me, but her lack of caring could lead to something happening to her and I couldn't let that happen.

"I'm just trying to protect you," I pointed out, trying not to sound like I was pleading.

Sam scoffed. "Because that worked out so well the last time you thought you were 'protecting me'. It's not your job to protect me."

Yes, it was.

She continued, "As a matter of fact, you don't even have a role in my life."

"If you continue like this you might not –" I started heatedly, but I had to stop the moment I realized what I was going to fucking say. I was going to say that she might not have a life and for a moment, I could picture her death so vividly, Vlad glaring and triumphant. The image scared the hell out of me and I couldn't let her avoid this conversation just because she didn't want to listen to me. "Sam, please give me a chance to make you understand. I need to talk to you."

"That sounds eerily familiar," Sam said, and she seemed to be withdrawing into herself. There was no flare of anything in her eyes. She just looked closed off. "Either way, it doesn't matter. This conversation is over. Goodbye."

No, I couldn't let her say that. And it wasn't just because it made me ache on the inside to see her walking away. Something bad was happening and while I couldn't tell her the full thing, I had to warn her. I had to make her understand, at the very least, that it was dangerous for her. When she turned away, I reached out to grab her. I coiled my fingers around her upper arm and for a moment, everything felt right in my world. I had barely touched Sam, skin to skin. As Phantom, my fingers were too cold for her to bear casual touches. To have just a moment where I could feel her skin under my palm right now, it was probably what heaven felt like … If I were a mushy sort of fucker. Sam was still for a moment, and I really thought that she was going to turn around and be willing to talk about it.

And then she pulled herself away from me, turned around and slapped me across the face. She said something right afterward, but I couldn't figure out what. My head was ringing with the fact that she _slapped _me and I couldn't wrap my mind around it. Mechanically, my hand went up to touch my face – the exact spot where she had hit me.

I tried to think of something, anything that I could say to her. She was still standing there – too mad to move I think. I looked at Tucker, hoping that he would say something in my defense. Instead of him speaking, it was my sister.

"What's going on here?" She asked, and it didn't escape my notice that she was standing closer to Sam than she was to _me_.

"I …" I began, but I didn't know where to go from there. How could I tell Jazz without Sam hearing the wrong things? I looked Jazz, begging her to understand.

Finally, Tucker spoke. "He was, I think, going to mention the thing about the Fruit Loop. But I don't think he did it the right way."

Jazz shook her head at me, which I took offence to. "Danny, let it be."

Did she really just fucking say that? "Let it – Jazz! You know –"

"I know that you're bothering Sam. You need to leave her alone. She's not part of this."

How could she sound so calm when an hour ago she was the most panicked of any of us? "But –"

She interrupted me. "No buts. We can talk about this later but, right now, you're bothering her." She put her arms around Sam. My sister got to hold Sam but it was like I had a fucking restraining order. Jazz looked at me, and I could practically feel the sympathy rolling off her. "I know how you're feeling. You can't hide it from me. I'm not the bad guy here … But it's how you're coming off. So I think you should go with Tucker for a bit while Sam and I have a little chat."

No, that's not how this was going to go down. If Jazz was going to talk to Sam, I should be there. There was no guarantee Jazz was going to be talking about Vlad – in fact, she probably wouldn't – but I wanted to be there. I almost protested, when I felt Tucker's hand on my lower arm, pulling me away from them. I clenched my hands into fists and planted my feet for a moment, and I felt Tucker's hand more insistently. I took one more long look at Sam – vulnerable purple eyes and lips that I would kill to kiss – and then I let him drag me away.

"What the hell was that?" Tucker demanded as he dragged me down the deck steps.

"I don't know what you mean," I retorted, shaking his hand off my arm.

He let go of me quickly. "You know exactly what I mean! Interrogating her, grabbing her? That was over the line."

I stopped at the bottom of the steps, turning to glare at my best friend. "It wasn't an interrogation and you make it sound like I'm some kind of creep."

"You were coming off that way," Tucker argued.

I threw up my hands. What the fuck? Wasn't he supposed to defend _me_? Why was everyone fucking against me? I stalked away from him.

"Jesus Christ," I heard Tucker curse. "It's like being in a fucking relationship without the sex."

Then he jogged after me. For a moment, I entertained the idea of using my powers to fly away from him, but I decided against it. We both knew that I was an asshole, but I wasn't going to be rude enough to literally disappear on him.

"I know what you're thinking," I said when he was finally walking with me, "But that wasn't a … relationship thing."

"It sure as hell looked personal," Tucker argued. "If you want to keep her safe, then you're going to have to stay away from her."

I ground to a halt, blinking at him. "_What?_"

"We know Vlad's stalking you."

"Yeah …"

"So he must know that you haven't seen Sam in months."

"Yeah," I agreed.

"So maybe if the two of you stay away from each other, he won't get any ideas," Tucker summed up.

"It's not going to work," I argued immediately, and not just because I didn't want to have a logical reason to stay away from Sam.

"Why not?"

"Vlad knows I haven't talked to Sam in months."

Tucker stared at me blankly. There was a pause and then he said, "Uh, Danny? You're going to have to give me more than that."

"If Vlad knows I haven't talked to Sam in months, why, then, would he hold her over me? Why would he threaten her? If he truly believed that Sam meant nothing to me, even after months of silence, then Vlad wouldn't bother making Gregor go out with her –"

"If that's true -"

"It has to be for my sanity," I insisted. "If Vlad is still involving Sam then he knows that I'm still in love with her. He knows that he can hold her over me and it will be effective. If I leave her alone, if I don't keep an eye on her, then things could just get worse. Gregor could try something."

Tucker was making a face. I knew he was trying to figure out a way to argue against me but he couldn't because I was fucking right.

"You can't interfere with her life," he said finally.

"When the fuck did you turn into Jazz?" I demanded, and his dark cheeks turned even darker. "Sorry, you're not that annoying. But I already have a mother and she acts like a second one. I don't need you to be a third."

"I'm not turning into anyone," Tucker said gruffly. "And the last thing I need is to be your parent. I'd have grey hairs by tomorrow."

"Funny."

"But that doesn't mean that you can tamper around. I know you care about Sam but you left her in a shit place, man. She's my friend and you need to know that I'm not going to stand by and watch you stress her out."

"Assuming she's alive to be stressed out," I snapped. "Whose side are you on?"

"The side that gets everyone out alive," Tucker hissed at me.

"Everyone will get out alive. We'll figure out what Vlad's doing and then we'll take him down."

"Great, I've only heard that how many times this summer?" I glared at Tucker. "_Exactly__._ So, do you have an actual plan on how to accomplish this or not?"

"Um, we're going to have to break into the mansion."

"Wow," Tucker said, nodding sarcastically. "Between Vlad and all of his ghostly henchmen that should be easier than listening to Lancer for two hours straight."

"I don't know. We'll strategize later." I reached up to rub the back of my neck. "I don't know what to do. But, hey, that's why my parents had a girl first. C'mon, let's get back to the party."

I began to shuffle toward the place our friends were probably hanging out, wondering if there was any way that I could run back into Sam, when Tucker stopped me.

"One more thing, Danny."

I turned back toward him. "Yeah?"

Tucker looked awkward, then blurted, "I know it feels like Jazz and I both shit on you sometimes over the whole Sam thing. That whole time period was a big fuck up, for you and me. And I just wanted to say that I'm really glad that we're friends again and that you're being you again, instead of some fake asshole. I missed you."

"I missed you too," I said, knowing exactly what he meant by the words. I reached up, even though I had to stand on my tiptoes to do it, and slapped my arm around his shoulder. "Let's go, buddy, we have a party to attend."

**I don't own anything recognizable. Thanks to my betas: Forever Sky.**

**~TLL~**


	6. Chapter 6

I stared at the two ghosts in front of me, and heaved a sigh. The Lunch Lady looked at me grouchily, while Box Lunch was glaring intensely. The Box Ghost had crossed over some time ago, but had left the two of them behind. The Lunch Lady was set to go – we had figured out what was holding her here – but she wouldn't leave her daughter. Box Lunch had effectively stumped me, Tucker, and Jazz. She was the product of two ghosts. She had _never_ been human, so was there even somewhere for her to cross over to?

It had taken the better chunk of July and the first part of August, but Jazz believed that she had found a solution. The Lunch Lady just wasn't going to like it.

"Explain it again!" The Lunch Lady ordered me.

"The thing anchoring Box Lunch to this world is her parents – you and the Box Ghost. The Box Ghost is gone, so one of the ties has already been cut," I recited, trying not to sound bored and annoyed, because then she'd get even more frustrated with me. I just wasn't in the mood for her to attack me right now. "If you leave then she will have nothing holding her here, so she will be free to follow you into the next world."

"I don't trust him," Box Lunch squeaked. I _really_ wanted to hit the little bitch. She annoyed me even more than her father had, and that's fucking saying something.

"Me either," The Lunch Lady cooed, sounding so sweet that it made my skin crawl.

"What possible reason would I have to lie to you?" I asked her.

The Lunch Lady stayed quiet, but she glared at me. Half poised behind her, Box Lunch was looking just as pissed as her mother did.

"Look, I _know_ that you both want to move on. I'm here to help you do that. I've helped all of the other ghosts … I'm not out to get you."

"He's out to get us!" Box Lunch shrieked.

Punching her in the fucking face wouldn't help my cause, but it was ridiculously tempting.

"I. Want. To. Help. You." I looked to the Lunch Lady. "I don't want her left behind without her parents. I can assure you that if you cross over, she'll be right behind you, and then you can both go join the Box Ghost and live in harmony forever on the other side."

The Lunch Lady turned her back on me so that she could squat down in front of Box Lunch. The Lunch Lady may have been one psycho bitch, but she was still a mom, and even I could notice how much she cared for her daughter. She took Box Lunch's hands in her own, murmuring to her in a voice so low that I couldn't hear the words said, only the sweet tones that were used. It wasn't the fake sweet tone that I was used to hearing from her, but it was something genuine.

Finally, the Lunch Lady turned to face me, Box Lunch's smaller hand in her own. "All right … I will cross over and I will trust you to send Box Lunch to me."

I opened my mouth, but she kept talking.

"And know that if you _don't_ send her, my little girl is going to make your life a living hell."

"I wouldn't expect anything less," I grumbled under my breath. Then, I raised my voice. "This is the part that's up to you. It kind of goes differently for every ghost. Some of them like to chant, some of them just disappear. You know your past. You understand why you became a ghost. Now it's time to release your hatred and let your humanity return."

The Lunch Lady looked over her shoulder at Box Lunch, and then she closed her wrinkled eyes. She dropped her daughter's hand, and for a moment, she was completely still. I watched as the Lunch Lady seemed to find her inner peace, and she began to disappear. I watched as her feet slowly turned invisible. It worked its way up her legs, to her arms and torso. When it was at her shoulders, she opened her eyes one last time. But instead of looking down at Box Lunch, like I expected her to do, she looked straight into my eyes, until her head disappeared with the rest of her.

"Mom?" Box Lunch squeaked, and then she reached out to touch the space where the Lunch Lady had just been. She then looked to me and panicked. I realized just how young Box Lunch was – maybe eight or nine at the most. She may have been a cranky brat, but she was just a child.

"Hey, Box Lunch," I said soothingly. She glared at me suspiciously. I was the ghost kid, I wasn't supposed to sound _nice._ "It's okay, you can follow her right now."

"How?"

"Box Lunch, do you want to be here?"

She looked around us, to the house in the distance then to the grass underneath her semi-transparent feet. Finally, she shook her head and tugged viciously at one of her spiky black pigtails. "I want to be with Mom and Dad."

"That's good." I bit my lip, not sure what to say next. But I had to say something. "I want you to try and close your eyes."

"What are you gonna do?" She asked me.

"Nothing." I crouched down so that I wasn't standing above her, but I didn't get any closer to her. "I'm just going to be right here, not doing anything else."

"Okay …" she agreed slowly. She closed her eyes. "Now what?"

"I want you to picture your Mom. Tell me when you can see her."

"I see her," Box Lunch whispered.

"Great. Now I want you to picture your Dad. Tell me when you can see him."

She was silent for longer this time. "I see him. He's with Mom."

"What are they doing?" I asked her.

"They want me to go with them."

"Good," I murmured to myself. "What do you want?"

"I want to go with them," Box Lunch admitted. Then, her eyes tore open. "No, it's scary! This is all in my head! Where did they go?"

Internally, I sighed. We'd been so fucking close. "They're on the other side."

"What _is_ the other side?" She screeched.

I stopped. I had no idea what the other side was. I just knew that it had to exist, otherwise, there would be way more ghosts here than there had been; otherwise, the ghosts that had been here would have nowhere to go. And they were all clearly going somewhere.

"It's a nice place," I explained to Box Lunch. "It's a place where there are no ghost hunters, and you get to be with your Mom and Dad, no troubles around. Everyone gets to be happy on the other side."

"Really?" Box Lunch asked. "Promise?"

"Really, I promise," I swore to her. "Now, close your eyes again."

I expected another bout of rebellion from her, but she closed her eyes. Without any prompting from me, she said, "I see them. They want me to be with them and I want to go with them. I don't want to be here without them."

I tried to keep an eye on her feet and on her middle. The Box Ghost had disappeared from his stomach out, like he was being sucked into a vacuum or something. I figured, since Box Lunch was their daughter, she'd go out the same way as one of them.

"Keep talking to me," I encouraged her. "Tell me why you don't want to be here without them."

"Well, everyone's leaving. And they're Mom and Dad. I don't know what to do without them. I'm always with Mom. Who else will love me?"

Her feet were starting to disappear, just like the Lunch Lady's had.

"Do you love them?" I asked her.

"Of course!" Box Lunch said indignantly. "I miss Dad. It feels like he's been gone for so long."

"You're almost there," I told her. "You're doing great."

Only her jawline and up was left. She began to smile, and then she too was gone. I rocked back off my feet and onto my ass, sitting heavily on the ground. For some reason, watching mother and daughter go was more emotional than any other ghost that I had helped. I drew in a long breath and then I huffed it out. I fished my phone out of my spandex, and sent a text to Jazz.

**Me: Lunch Lady and Box lunch are gone. You were right.**

** Jazz: always am. Tucker's here. He wants to strategize.**

** Me: Tonight?**

** Jazz: why? Have plans?**

** Me: … well …**

** Jazz: Danny, no. Come home.**

** Me: See you in twenty.**

** Jazz: fifteen.**

** Me: fine.**

I put my phone away. Screw Jazz for always knowing what was going on. She knew Sam and Gregor were on their date tonight, just like I did. I didn't know where the rat was taking Sam, but in a town the size of Amity Park, it wouldn't be hard to find them. I wanted to check in on them, make sure that he wasn't hurting her … or touching her in any way, shape, or form. But, apparently, my self-appointed conscience wasn't going to let me do that. I forced myself to my feet and made it back to FentonWorks within Jazz's fifteen minute time limit.

I transformed back into my human self and stumbled through my front door.

"Danny?" Mom called from the kitchen.

I paused. "Yeah?"

"Come here for a minute!"

I made my way into the kitchen and leaned against the doorway. "What, Mom?"

She turned around, looking concerned. "Tucker came over about half an hour ago."

I nodded. "Yeah, Jazz texted me and told me."

"I thought you were with Tucker."

"Oh …"

Mom put her hands on her hips. "Is that really all you have to say for yourself?"

Left with no other option, I just nodded.

She sighed. "Danny, I know you're an adult now but, to sound like a classic mother, you will always be my baby. I still worry about you."

"You don't have to worry about me, Mom. I'm not getting into any trouble. And I do have friends outside of Tucker, you know."

I saw the moment that she almost protested that, saying that Tucker was the only person that I really spent time with. But then her face softened. She wasn't looking for a fight. She just wanted to understand, and I couldn't let her. I had kept the truth of my ghostly self hidden for so long that to tell my parents now would be like a slap in the face.

"It's okay, really." I went to turn away and go find Tucker and Jazz, when the Lunch Lady and Box Lunch popped into my mind. I faced my mother again, but this time I walked over to her and I hugged her. She grabbed me around the waist, and for the first time in my life, my mother felt _small_ to me. I had always known that she wasn't a big woman, but my mother was always so strong and powerful that she had never felt _little_ before.

"I know it's okay sweetie," Mom said, and she kissed my cheek. "Go find Tucker. I'm sure Jazz has bored him to tears by now."

"My poor friend," I griped, letting go of Mom. "Why'd you have a girl?"

"Just to bother you," Mom laughed.

"So you had it out for me since before I was born?" I cried, faking distress. "I knew she was the favourite."

"Was there any ever doubt?" Mom teased me, although her face was so serious that I believed her for a minute.

"I'm going upstairs."

"Then go," Mom encouraged, and I left her.

Jazz and Tucker were in my room. Jazz was sitting in my desk chair, a broken ectogun on her lap. Tucker was reclining across my bed.

"What took you so long?" Jazz demanded.

"I was downstairs with Mom!"

"Sure." Jazz rolled her eyes. "You weren't peeking in on Sam."

"No," I said, "but is that you giving me permission to?"

Jazz glared at me. "_No._ Sit down. We have some ideas."

I groaned as I sat down, but my mind was on Sam the entire time.

**I don't own anything recognizable. Thanks to my betas: Forever Sky.**

**~TLL~ **


	7. Chapter 7

"Remind me what the point of this is?" I groaned as Jazz flicked to another picture of a ghost.

We were staring at the computer that held all of the ghostly information that we had accumulated over the years. It included pictures of the ghosts, descriptions of what their abilities were, what they liked and disliked, it was basically a character profile of them. It had come in handy when Tucker, Jazz, and I were first learning to fight ghosts, but now, we only ever used it now when we updated it. We didn't need to double check who was who or what they were capable of anymore. Along the way, we had learned who everyone was. And now that most of the profile had the words _PASSED ON _written under the ghost's name, it was even more pointless to me.

"We need to reassess the ghostly situation," Jazz huffed. "It's important."

I quirked my eyebrow at her. "_Nothing_ needs reassessing. This is your half-assed attempt at keeping me from crashing Sam and Gregor's date."

I screwed up my lips at the words like I had just bitten into the world's most sour lemon. The thought of her being out with him made me physically ill. He was going to hurt her. I knew that he was going to hurt her. I _had_ to be there to protect her when that happened.

"It's their date, Danny," Jazz said. "You should just leave it alone."

"Am I crazy or were you just a little bit suspicious of Gregor a few days ago?" I snapped at her.

"Guys," Tucker interrupted from my bed, "Can we not fight?"

"No!" I shouted. "If Jazz is going to be so hypocritical then I'm going to call her on her bullshit."

"I'm just trying to protect you!" Jazz yelled back. "If you want to lose your mind and get hurt again, then fine. I'm not going to stand in your way!"

"I'm not losing my mind and I'm not going to get hurt!"

Jazz shoved her chair away from my desk and stood up, looking at me with a disturbing expression on her face. She was glaring at me, but she also looked like she was about to cry, and over everything, she wore a mask of disappointment. Somehow, I had let her down.

"I really thought you had grown up," she spat, and then she headed for my door.

"Jazz," I moaned, standing up, but she had already blown out of my room, slamming my door behind her.

"Easy on the door!" Dad shouted up the stairs.

"FUCK!" I yelled, driving my foot into the side of my desk. The wood dented. "Fuck."

I looked at Tucker, but my best friend just shook his head, not moving from his comfortable position on my bed. "You're tense, man."

"I know," I growled, and then I took a deep breath, trying to force myself to calm down. "I know. I feel like I'm all over the fucking place sometimes and then I don't know what I'm doing with myself … I need to do something about Vlad, but I don't know how. I'm not smart enough and sometimes I don't think I'm powerful enough either. The least that I can do is protect the people I care about but I even fail at that too."

I dropped heavily back into my chair, and Tucker finally sat up.

"You're not a failure."

I guffawed, but Tucker kept talking, likely so used to my moods that he barely noticed them.

"We'll figure out Vlad. Do you hear that? _We__. _You, me, Jazz, we're all in this together. You aren't alone, on anything. We'll always be there for you. It just gets hard when you act like such a … a …"

"Ass hat? Douchebag? Motherfucker?" I supplied. "Tell me when I get it right."

"Jerk," Tucker said simply. "We get it, Sam's a touchy issue. But, in all honestly, _you can't stalk her!"_

I tried to look insulted. "I'm not stalking her. Honestly, I haven't seen her since the beach party – "

"Which just happened."

"Well, yeah …"

"We're just trying to keep you from getting your hopes up, I guess. You hurt her and you have to let her live. We get it: Gregor should be suspected, just because of Vlad. We'll keep closer tabs on him now that he's spending time with Sam, but that doesn't mean we're going to watch their dates or anything creepy."

"We weren't going to watch!" I protested. "You and I were just going to happen to show up at the same place they were at and since you and Sam are friends, we totally could have stopped to talk for a while –"

"Stop," Tucker instructed, and I closed my mouth. "Will it make you feel better if I text Sam and make sure she's okay?"

"Please!" I begged.

He unlocked his phone, answered a text that he already had, and sent a new one to Sam.

"Who was that?" I asked, immediately interested. He still hadn't told me who he had slept with, and I figured that if he wanted me distracted, whoever had taken his virginity was as good a topic as any.

Tucker gave me a strange look. "Uh, Sam. You literally just told me to text her."

I shook my head. "The text you already had."

"Sam," Tucker said slowly. "She texted me before her date, I just never realized."

"Bullshit," I called him out. We had been friends for too long for him to lie to me or hide things from me.

"Is not!" Tucker insisted.

"Bull fucking shit," I repeated calmly. "Was it the girl you slept with?"

Tucker sighed. "Let it go, Danny."

"Nope," I decided with a childish look. "Tell me things!"

"Seriously," Tucker rolled his eyes. "She wasn't important … Oh, look! Sam texted back! How convenient for me."

"What'd she say?"

"The last thing that you want to hear: Gregor was nice to her and she likes him."

I tried to swallow my jealousy. Besides, the absolute last thing I wanted to hear was that he'd hurt her. This was a _very _close second, though. I could almost see them in my mind's eye, sharing a kiss, and, subsequently, I almost threw up on my floor. With my head feeling hot and the room slightly spinning, I forced out, "He's probably playing at an angle … Being nice to her and then hurting her. We need to figure out his plans before he does anything."

Tucker actually face palmed. "We know we have to figure out the evil guy's plan. It's seriously all we've been talking about for months. When are we actually going to do something?"

I thought about it. "Saturday."

Tucker's dark eyebrows shot upward. "_This_ Saturday?"

I nodded. "Why not? Why wait? This gives us a few more days to think about it, maybe plan a little bit more. And I know that Vlad's having a little get together this weekend. Mom and Dad were invited, but they've got something else to do. He'll be distracted with people in his house, so it'll probably be easier for us to get in and out. It'll be perfect."

"If you're sure," Tucker finally said uncertainly.

"I'm positively sure!" I said with false confidence. "And it gives me time to make up with Jazz."

Something in Tucker's face changed. "Are we bringing her with us?"

I laughed, "Afraid my sister is going to encroach on guy ghost hunting time?"

"Something like that."

I shrugged. "Jazz knows what she's doing … somehow. It's up to her. Who knows if she'll even forgive me by then. Sometimes she likes to hold onto grudges for too long."

"Ah siblings," Tucker sighed. "I'm glad I don't have any. Oh, some good news for you, although I'm trying not to fuel this."

"Good news? Fuel what?" I demanded in quick succession.

"Sam did _not_ kiss Gregor. Bad news, she has a second date with him. And I don't want to fuel this little obsession you have with Sam."

"It's not obsession, it's love. I just need to talk to her."

Tucker rolled his bright green eyes at me. "Right … You're just proving my point, man."

"Shut the fuck up," I ordered him.

Tucker's eyes widened. "Oh shit."

Concerned, I tensed, looking for danger. My ghost sense hadn't gone off, but it wasn't always reliable. There could still be something. "What? What is it?"

"Sam's next date is at Vlad's little get together this weekend."

I froze along with him. "She's going to be at Vlad's house?"

"Sounds like it," Tucker looked at me, worried. "You don't think she's going to be in any trouble, do you? If it's a party then they won't try anything. I mean, she'll tell her parents where she's going …"

I tented my fingers together. "Vlad's a careful fucker. He's definitely thought of all of that. No, if something is going to happen to her, I wouldn't put my money on it happening Saturday. That being said, my money is still on something happening to her."

Tucker looked down at his phone screen. "Should I say something to her?"

"Giving her details over text isn't a good idea. She's not going to believe it. She's going to think that it's me fucking with her through you, all because she's dating his nephew."

"But I can't say nothing!" Tucker protested. "It's dangerous!"

"So just tell her to be careful!" I blurted out. "There's nothing else we can do! Sam's smart. Hopefully we'll learn something on Saturday and we'll keep her safe from then on."

"I told her to be careful, but it's the lamest advice ever."

"I know but …" I paused as his phone vibrated. "Is that Sam? What's she saying?"

"She wants to know what's happening. Should I invite her out and explain it to her?"

I hesitated. "I can't see that ending well … Let's wait until after our excursion and then we'll see."

"What do I say?"

"Um … tell her not to worry?" I suggested lamely, knowing that it sucked just as much as 'be careful'.

"Okay," Tucker said, his thumbs flying over his keyboard. "We'll see what she says in a minute. In the meantime, Saturday!"

My door flew open and we both jumped. I tensed for an attack, preparing to fire at my intruder, while Tucker grabbed for the broken ectogun that was sitting on the end of my bed. There was no cause for alarm – it was just Jazz. Still, I remained on the offensive. When my sister was mad, there was no telling how much danger I would be in.

"You two are idiots," she announced with any preamble.

"Gee, thanks," I barked acerbically.

"I would've thought you thought more of me by now," Tucker sulked.

Jazz rolled her eyes at the two of us, letting us know that she thought we were worse than idiots, but didn't feel like taking the time to explain to us just how fucked up we were.

"You plot really loudly, I'll be surprised if Mom and Dad haven't figured out Danny Phantom is living in their house by now," she sniffed.

"Great," I said, "And just in case they heard us and are now eavesdropping, thank you for spilling that for me." I raised my voice, "Sorry, parents!"

"Shush, they're in the lab."

"Then what do you want?" I asked her. "Because Tucker and I are actually being productive here."

"Don't go to Vlad's on Saturday," Jazz ordered. "And, yes, I'll be going when you go, only because I think that you're incapable of functioning without me – whether or not you agree with that statement."

"I don't, because you haven't been hanging over my shoulder every second of my life and not all of it has completely gone to hell!" I sagged. "Sorry Jazz, you know that we appreciate you."

"I'm sorry too," she admitted. "Can I come back in?"

I gestured to the empty chair she had vacated not too long ago. "As long as you tell us why we shouldn't go to Vlad's on Saturday."

"The fact he's going to be there," Jazz explained, settling back into her old spot. Her eyes bounced from me to Tucker. "Let's go on Sunday. Since Mom and Dad are going to be missing his barbeque, Dad decided that the three of them should go to dinner on Sunday night. Gregor was also invited, but I'm unsure if he's going. Anyway, you'll have a better chance of snooping if Vlad's not there, because we know he's not afraid to abandon his guests and fight you."

"And this is why we need Jazz," Tucker said, and I found myself nodding along.

We would be so lost without her.

**I don't own anything recognizable. Thanks to my betas: Forever Sky.**

**~TLL~**


	8. Chapter 8

I slathered peanut butter across a slice of bread, grumbling under my breath.

"Would you calm down?" Jazz asked from behind me.

I tried to refrain from rolling my eyes at her. It was Saturday night, several days after our little spat, but that didn't mean that it was okay to piss her off now. We were breaking into Vlad's tomorrow night and I needed Jazz, Tuck, and I to be working like a single unit. We were usually pretty good at getting down to business and sticking to it, if I do say so myself, but I didn't want to take any risks when it came to the Masters mansion. There was no telling what fucking ghost would be roaming around, waiting to make mincemeat out of us.

"I'm fuckin' freaked about tomorrow," I admitted. "Vlad's been such a motherfucker lately. He keeps making threats and I know he's just waiting for a reason to act on them."

Jazz's face rearranged into an expression that was more sympathetic. "Danny, this is the only course of action. It's better he be stopped completely."

"I know. It's just … Sometimes I think about how fuckin' dangerous this is and I wonder why I let myself get caught up in this bullshit. Why did I think it would be fun to fight fucking ghosts when I was fourteen? Why?"

Jazz was unaffected by my rant. She'd heard similar things too often. "It's because you're a hero, Danny. Somehow, my little brother was born to save people. You're doing a wonderful job at it. Don't doubt yourself. _I _have faith in you."

"Thanks," I grumbled, knowing that she was probably the only one who felt that way. "Jazz, are you going somewhere?"

"I'm meeting a friend," she said, although her voice sounded far off. I had my head stuck in the fridge, looking for the strawberry jam. "Is that a problem?"

"No, just be careful. Dammit, where is the –"

"Top shelf," Jazz interrupted helpfully. She said something else while I was distracted with finding the jam from behind the bottle of mustard.

"Whoot! Got it. If you see Vlad, kick him in the balls for me, okay, Jazz?"

In response, the door slammed shut. I laughed, but only because if there was one of us that undoubtedly had the power to take Vlad down, it was Jazz. Sometimes I thought it was a little unfair that I was the one with the powers when Jazz would be so much more useful, but then I remembered that if Jazz _did_ have ghost powers, then I would be the one who suffered because of it.

I slathered the jam on top of my peanut butter, thinking about tomorrow and breaking into Vlad's mansion. I bent my bread in half and shoved most of it in my mouth. Time for me to rest up.

(-.-)

I woke up in the middle of the night to an agonizing sensation. It was taking over every bit of my body and making me feel like I was going to die.

I had to pee like a motherfucker.

Cursing that fact the pissing was a thing – because seriously, it's inconvenient as hell – I lurched out of bed, wrinkling my nose at myself. It was a hot night and I was sweating my balls off. Grumbling about everything, I managed to make it to the bathroom without wetting my boxers. I quickly washed my hands; I felt tired but better as the cold water washed over my hands. Even with my below average body temperature, I was steaming. I finally convinced myself to leave the bathroom and stepped into the hallway. I almost walked straight back to my bed when I something caught my eye: Jazz's door. It was hanging wide open. I frowned, and headed for it. Jazz hated to sleep with her door open. I stuck my head around the doorframe, but her room was empty.

I froze, trying to listen to the house. I could hear the subtle creaks as the house settled. I could definitely hear my father's snores and my mother's restless sleeping. But aside from my own shallow breathing, I couldn't hear anyone else in the house. Using my ghost powers, I quickly phased through all the rooms in the house. I even went down into the lab, but just like I had feared, Jazz wasn't there. I went back to my bedroom, trying not to panic as I calculated how long she had been gone.

She left home around eight … I think. It was currently about one a.m. If we had been talking about any other adult on the planet, I probably wouldn't worry. But this was Jazz, who never stayed out late and who had a bounty on her head because of me. I grabbed my cell phone, begging for her to pick up. But, of course, I just got her cheerful voicemail.

_Fuck__._

I transformed into Phantom. The only thing that I could do now was search Amity. Once I found her, I was going to have to get her micro chipped. Tucker too, now that I thought about it, just in case Vlad managed to get his grubby hands on my sister or my best friend. As I slipped through the streets at a rapid pace, I wondered if there was any way that I could get Sam chipped too. You know, for safety reasons. In the height of my musings, I sped past something on the street. I skidded to a halt, because it had looked like a person. Slowly, I turned in midair, praying that I had taken the scene in wrong.

But I hadn't, of course I hadn't.

"_Jazz!"_ I screamed her name and it tore my throat. She didn't respond and I flew to her side.

I had faced a lot since I had become Phantom. I had broken bones and lost more blood than I cared to know. I had been beaten and threatened. While it had been horrific when I was younger, now I just took the blows. I thought that I had been hardened to every type of blood and gore out there, because I had seen it all on my own body. But as I landed next to Jazz, my fear threatening to kill me, I knew that it wasn't true.

There was nothing in the world that could have prepared me for finding my sister beaten and bloody in an alley. My hands were shaking as they hovered over her, and I choked back sobs, trying to figure out what I should do. There was blood everywhere, staining the ripped blue dress that I knew was her favourite. Her face was already swollen from bruises. I wanted to reach out and touch her, to see if she'd respond, but I was scared to touch her. Her arms looked twisted, and her legs looked worse.

"Jazz," I whispered, and then I noticed the heave of her ribcage. She was still breathing.

_Of course she was. Jazz doesn't give up that easily_.

I grabbed my cell phone, letting myself fade back into Fenton as I did so, not caring that I had left the house in nothing but boxers and an old t-shirt. I dialled 911, and was yelling at the operator before he even got through with asking me what my emergency was.

"_Please__,_ it's my sister. Someone's attacked her," I rattled off the address, Jazz's age, full name, and her height. I said that she wasn't allergic to anything and that she didn't take medications. I begged, "Hurry. She's barely breathing."

I touched the skin on the underside of her forearm, a piece of flesh that hadn't been marred by blood or bruising. "Hold on, Jazz. You're gonna be fine. I know it."

The ambulance was there before I knew it, and I was thankful for their speed. One of the paramedics tugged me into a standing position. "Has anyone called your parents?"

I shook my head, Mom and Dad – sleeping and unaware – had never crossed my mind.

"Get in the front of the ambulance," she ordered me, and while I wanted to stay with Jazz, I also didn't want to be in their way.

I crawled into the front of the ambulance and my cell phone was back in my hand. I called home, unsure of what else to do. If I couldn't have my sister, I needed my mother.

She answered.

"Hello?"

I could tell that she was mostly asleep.

"_Mom_," I sobbed.

"Danny? Where are you? What's going on?" Mom demanded, sounding way more alert. I heard Dad snort awake in the background, muttering, "Mads?"

"I … Jazz …" I huffed out, trying to control myself enough to tell them something, anything, but I couldn't get Jazz's puffy face, streaked with blood, out of my mind. "Hospital. She's not okay."

"We'll meet you there," Mom assured me. "Danny, it's going to be okay."

"K," I sniffed out, and then the line went dead.

I clenched my hands together as the ambulance went roaring down the streets of Amity, the lights on and the sirens blaring despite the fact there wasn't really anyone on the roads beside us right now. The hospital appeared in front of us – bright and gleaming. To anyone else, it would have looked intimidating, but to me it looked hopeful. This was the place that would help Jazz. Here, she would get better.

I shuffled out of the ambulance as the paramedic threw himself from the vehicle. He helped the others get Jazz from the back of the ambulance, and they were speaking quickly amongst themselves, using terms that I couldn't understand. I followed them into the hospital, but doctors were starting to swarm her and I was losing her. I kept up as best as I could until a hand grabbed my arm. I tensed, ready for a fight, but it was just a nurse. The guy was taller than Tucker and was built like a gorilla, but the look on his face made me feel a lot calmer. If everyone in this hospital looked both as peaceful and confident as this man, then my sister was in good hands.

"Come on," he said. "I'll grab you some scrub pants. You might want to clean up a little too."

I looked down at myself. There was blood on my knees from where I'd been kneeling close to Jazz.

I planted my feet and looked toward where they had taken Jazz.

"She's probably set to go into the operating room," the man said firmly. "She's being taken care of, okay? Now let me take care of you and then we'll find your family. My name is Eric, okay?"

He dropped me off at a bathroom so I could wash off my knees. When I was finished scrubbing my legs free of Jazz's blood, he returned with pants. I pulled them on and let him take me to the waiting room. Mom and Dad weren't there yet. I sat down in a hard chair, while Eric said he had patients to check on and that he would be back. I hung my head, staring down at my hands. I may have sponged Jazz's blood from my legs but I couldn't wash her blood from my hands.

I was responsible for this. I wasn't the one who had raised a hand to my sister, but I was the reason why someone had. If I wasn't Phantom, if I didn't exist, then Jazz would be just fine. Trembling all over, I grabbed my cellphone.

"It's _late_."

"Tuck …" I hiccoughed, feeling like I was going to throw up. "I'm at the hospital."

"The hospital?" I could hear fear in Tucker's voice. He was terrified of hospitals and everything that had to do with them. "You never go to the hospital. What the hell did Vlad do to you?"

"Not me. _Jazz_. He fucking got to Jazz. She looked like she'd been hit by a truck or fed to a bear or both. It was so bad, Tuck. There was blood and bruises and she looked so _broken_." I was losing it. I could feel myself losing it.

"Jazz?" Tucker whispered. "He wouldn't."

"He did!" I shrieked. "I know you hate –"

"I'm already halfway out the door," Tucker assured me, cutting me off. "I'm not leaving you alone, either of you."

"Thanks Tuck."

"See you soon."

**I don't own anything recognizable. Thanks to my betas: Forever Sky.**

**~TLL~**


	9. Chapter 9

I slumped down against Tucker, watching Dad clench his hand around Mom's. We hadn't seen a doctor in hours, and I had no fucking idea how Jazz was doing. The only thing that any of us knew was that she was in the ICU (no fucking visitors, although I had half a mind to phase in to see her anyway) and that everything was going wrong.

"Hey," Tucker nudged me. "Want to take a walk?"

I looked up at him like he was insane. "Leave?"

"It'll do you good," Mom mentioned. She rubbed her hand against my knee. "Go on."

I lurched to my feet and Tucker scrabbled up behind me. I could barely look at his face. He looked devastated, and it reminded me of how shitty I felt. The whole thing made me mad. It made me want to kill things. Except, the fact that Jazz had been attacked drained me so completely that I couldn't go and kill Vlad right now, even if I wanted to.

Tucker and I headed into the staircase of the hospital, where we always seemed to end up. We began to shuffle down the steps toward the ground level.

"It doesn't seem fuckin' real," I admitted to him. "I was flying by, thinking that she … I don't even know what I thought she might be doing. I just never thought she wouldn't be fine."

"She will be." Tucker turned on his phone. "You know she will be."

His phone lit up, buzzing wildly. I glared at it. How dare the outside world exist right now? How dare someone else need him when _I_needed him? Tucker ran his hand over his face and he opened the text. He looked completely exhausted, and then something in his face changed.

"What?" I managed, although I couldn't put enough effort into my words to make it sound like I actually cared.

"It's Sam."

"Sam?" That caught my interest. "What the fuck is going on?"

I tried to steady myself, feeling the world begin to fall away. Not Jazz _and_ Sam. Even Vlad wouldn't have the balls to go after them both in one night. He had to know that was a guaranteed death sentence. I would have fucking beheaded him without another thought if something else had gone down while I had been preoccupied with Jazz.

"It's not a huge deal," Tucker said quickly. "She was over at Vlad's last night and she just said that he was freaking her out."

"She okay?"

"She's okay," Tucker repeated.

I groaned, partly from relief that it wasn't anything worse, and partly because of the state of the fucking world since Vlad was still alive in it. I dropped down on the bottom step, running my hand across the top of my head and down the back of my neck. I was too tired to think about anything except for the hospital bubble, but that wasn't an option. Regardless of what was happening in my Fenton life, I still had a responsibility in my Phantom one. I looked down at my pale hands and clenched them into fists, mentally placing white gloves on myself. Life would be so much better if I didn't have these fucking powers.

"Danny?" Tucker prompted.

"What?" I looked up.

He was standing over me, his expression hooded. "What should I tell her? About Vlad and everything?"

"Nothing," I said quickly. "She can't … Now is not the time to try and explain …"

"Then when?"

I dug my nails into the palms of my hands. "I'm worried he's going to try to do something to her … or you. Maybe me. I don't know. I think he's more concerned with watching me suffer right now. _Fuck_."

Tucker sat down next to me. "Breathe. I'm fine. Sam's fine. Jazz will be fine." I pretended I didn't hear his voice crack when he talked about Jazz, because that's what he'd been doing for me all night.

"I feel so helpless," I forced out, and before I could stop myself, the sobs came out. My entire body shook. I was always the person who did things. Phantom got shit done. To know that I could only stand on the sidelines and watch as my sister either lived or died was destroying me. I didn't even say a word when Tucker hugged me. He wrapped his arms around me completely, smothering me, and I didn't even think about how it made me feel like a child or how it was so uncharacteristic of the two of us.

"You're not helpless," Tucker said finally, when I had stopped fucking crying. "And something you can do is tell me what to tell Sam."

I sat up and rubbed at my eyes. "I don't like the thought of her alone ..." Then I had a flash of brilliance. "You can go to Sam's. You can watch her. I'll fly you over so that neither of you have to be alone. We can stop and get ecto guns."

"What?"

There was something strange in Tucker's voice, but I bypassed it. "You can protect her. She'll _let_ you protect her, because she won't fucking let me near her. Look, don't explain anything about Vlad. Just figure something out to get her to let you come over."

"It's seven-thirty in the morning!"

I glared at him. "This is _important__._ You know it's important. Besides, what are you going to do here anyway? Babysit me? I thought you'd be glad to get out of the hospital since you fucking hate them."

"I, um, sure," Tucker agreed quietly. "Just … let me go call her."

I nodded and he slipped out of the stairwell. The door clanged behind him, and I felt a flash of panic as he disappeared from sight; my heart only settled when he stood in front of the little window so that I could see the back of his head and neck. I couldn't handle this. I thought of my parents, sitting upstairs in the waiting room, but I didn't worry about them. Vlad had given no indication that he would hurt Mom or Dad. Whatever his plan was, they didn't matter in it.

I looked up as Tucker came back into the stairwell, his expression heavier than when he'd left.

"Ready?" I asked, standing up. I wanted to drop him off quickly, so that I could get back to the waiting room.

He nodded. I quickly checked for security cameras before I rested my hand against his arm, turning us both invisible. I transformed subtly, and then phased us out of the hospital. I was too tired to go as fast as I would have liked, although I desperately tried to make good time on getting to FentonWorks. I phased us into my room, grabbing one of the smaller ecto guns. He tucked it into his front pocket. He looked a little green as we prepared to fly again, but only because he hated it.

"So, remember," I said as we approached Sam's house, "Don't tell her anything about what's going on."

"I won't."

"I'll call you if anything happens." We touched down on Sam's front lawn, and I couldn't help but stare toward Sam's bedroom.

"Make sure you do."

"Make sure you both stay safe." I couldn't stop my anxiety from slipping into my voice. "Call me if anything happens. If you need me. If you even _think_ Vlad is showing up or if you see Gregor or anything."

"Got it."

I let go of him, staying invisible while he walked away from me toward Sam's door. I watched it crack open and I saw the very top of her head before she and Tucker tumbled into the interior of her house. I stood there and let my heart ache for her, because I was familiar with that pain and because it was easier to deal with. When Sam had broken up with me, I had known that she was somewhere safe. Even though I wanted her next to me, I knew that she was alive and that everything in her world was okay. But when it came to my sister's attack, I had no such assurance. I didn't know if Jazz was going to get out of this alive; I didn't know if Vlad's plan allowed her to live – if it allowed anyone I cared about to get out of this alive. With that thought weighing heavily on my mind, I forced myself back to the hospital.

I stumbled into the waiting room. Mom and Dad were leaning heavily against one another. I dropped into the chair beside Mom, and her hand curled around my wrist.

"Where's Tucker?" She asked.

"He had to go home," I lied.

Mom nodded, and her hand moved from my wrist to my shoulders. I collapsed against her, ignoring how the armchair dug uncomfortably into my ribs. It was surprisingly still in the waiting room. The nurses and doctors that we did see moved with such calming efficiency that I barely registered them. That is, until there was a woman standing right in front of us. She was the social worker. She talked to us so the doctors didn't have to … At least, that was my understanding of her job. I hadn't been there the first time she popped up.

"What happened?" Dad demanded before she could say anything.

"Jasmine has suffered a cardiac arrest," the social worker said. "They think that it was just trauma from the surgery or her attack."

"Is she okay?" Mom cried.

"The doctors are with her now. Everything is going to be fine," she assured us quickly.

_Fine__,_ I mocked her voice in my head, because a huge part of me believed that it was bullshit. If it was fine, then I wouldn't be in the hospital, hoping that my sister wasn't going to fucking die.

"Honey," Mom said.

I pulled away from her, suddenly feeling overwhelmed with guilt. If I had been a better hero – the kind of hero I swore I would be when I was fourteen – then none of this would have happened. Jazz would actually be fine. We wouldn't be sitting in the hospital. Sam would have actually fallen in love with me because I wouldn't have been a dick bag. And I probably would have been smart enough to do something about Vlad a long time ago. Everything that had happened was my fault. I jerked away from my parents, retreating to the stairwell.

I sat down on one of the steps, dialling Tucker, because I promised I'd call him. As the phone rang, I found myself whispering, _"I'm sorry, Jazz. I'm sorry, Jazz," _as if she could actually hear me.

"Hey Danny." Tucker's voice was raspy and thick. I wondered what had been happening at Sam's. "What's going on?"

"Cardiac arrest," I choked out.

"I'm sorry, cardiac arrest?" Tucker repeated with alarm. "Is that what you just said?"

"Mhmm," I mewled.

"Is she …?"

"Alive!" I gasped out, not wanting to think about how close she had come. "She's alive."

"Good. So was it just the trauma of the attack that caused it?"

"Yeah."

"Okay. Do you want me to come back over?"

"No! It's important that you stay with Sam. I can't leave anyone alone. You're not going to leave her, are you?"

"No. I understand the importance. I just …" Tucker's voice dropped. "I want to be there for you and your family too."

"Stay with her, okay?"

"Okay."

"Thanks, Tuck."

"Call me if anything else happens. I want to know."

"Absolutely. Bye, Tuck."

I hung up the phone as I stared at the grey wall across from me, and then I stood up again. It wasn't fair for me to keep running out on my parents like this. I dragged myself back to the waiting room, running into my father on the way there. I looked at him with alarm. Why had he left the waiting room? Had something happened?

Dad read my face with ease.

"I just got off the phone with Vladdy," he explained to me, his big hand resting on my shoulder as he guided me into the waiting room. "He heard about Jazzy-pants. Wanted to see how she was doing. You know how he loves you kids like you're family."

I ground my teeth at the idea, feeling like I wanted to knock Vlad the fuck out. I bet he wasn't concerned with her wellbeing. The bastard was probably hoping that she was dead.

"What did Vlad have to say?" Mom asked when we reached her again. Her lips tightened at the mention of Vlad. At least she wasn't as blind to him as Dad was.

"He wants to host a benefit for Jazz," Dad said, and I looked at my father, too shocked to even curse about Vlad in my head.

"_Why_?" I exploded.

"Medical bills are expensive," Mom began, as if I were just a kid.

"I _know_," I interrupted her. "But why would he have anything to do with it?"

"Vlad is my best friend. He's done things like this before." Dad was using the same tone Mom had. "He's going to host it on Saturday."

I was probably going to kill the fucker before he made it to Saturday.

"Maybe Jazz will be awake to go," Mom said hopefully, but her voice was so thin that we all knew that she didn't believe it.

I rested my head against Mom's shoulder, pushing all thoughts of murder from my brain. I couldn't think about revenge right now. I just had to think about my sister.

**I don't own anything recognizable. Thanks to my lovely betas: Forever Sky.**

**~TLL~**


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